‘Family Guy,’ ‘Bob’s Burgers,’ and Another ‘Simpsons Movie’ Are Reportedly in Development

It’s an uncertain time at the 20th Century Fox studio. The company is in the process of being acquired by Disney, and no one really knows what the future will hold. Will Disney simply fold Fox’s operations into its own? Will it keep separate Disney and Fox movie divisions? Will it lay off everyone? Will it release the movies Fox is shooting right now? It’s too early to tell.

The Wall Street Journalhas a story on the “awkward” situation at Fox waiting to learn the fate of its 2300 employees. Tucked away in their report is the revelation that Fox’s animation team has been quietly developing several films based on their most popular animated series: The Simpsons (which already got one movie back in 2007), Bob’s Burgers, and Family Guy, which would be unique among these three films for an unusual structure:

Amid the uncertainty, Ms. Snider has emphasized a revamp of Fox’s approach to animation, bringing in a new partner to replace an expired deal with DreamWorks Animation after it was acquired by Comcast Corp. The film studio is partnering with the Fox television studio on a big-screen adaptation of the animated series “Bob’s Burgers,” a second “Simpsons” movie in development and a “Family Guy” film that would mix animation with live action, said people with knowledge of the projects.

Before you get too excited about any of this remember the premise of the Journal’s article: Everything at Fox is one big question mark right now. Fox could claim today that they’re releasing a Family Guy movie in 2022, but when Disney finalizes its acquisition it could shut the whole thing down, or change the concept to make it less ambitious. (Remember, Disney has its own animation studio, one with a pedigree that may not necessarily jive with the Family Guy sense of humor.) So while these movies sound intriguing, they also sound tenuous at best.